Rose wins WGC-Cadillac Championship after dramatic final day in Miami

The WGC-Cadillac Championship was the final frontier as far as European golf was concerned. It was the most prestigious title in the game that a European had yet to win, but Justin Rose put that right on a truly dramatic afternoon at Doral to claim the biggest victory of his career.

While Tiger Woods was crying out in pain - he would eventually withdraw after 12 holes to throw his Masters participation into doubt - Rose was in full cry. So was Rory McIlroy, while third round leader Bubba Watson was his usual colourful self.

Champion: Rose shows off his trophy

This season has already seen more than
its fair share of Sunday spills and thrills and here was another, as
Rose held his nerve and Watson held his head in his hands and reflected
on a terrible front nine that would ultimately prove fatal.

Watson had begun with a three-shot lead over Rose and fellow American Keegan Bradley but that didn't survive an outward half where he didn't hit a single fairway. For three days he had torn this course apart but now it was getting its own back as he ran up three consecutive bogeys at one point.

His nervy play threw the tournament wide open and quick to seize his chance was Rose, who birdied two of his first five holes. When he birdied the 10th as well he was out in front on his own for the first time.

Another to smell blood was McIlroy who,
at eight shots back, was seemingly out of contention. But what's eight
shots when you're infused with genius? An outward half of 33 was
followed by a birdie at the 10th and then a holed bunker shot for an
eagle three at the 12th. Now he was only one behind.

Dramatic day: Rose capitalised on Bubba Watson's nightmare

With Watson recovering his composure, it became a test of nerve for Rose. It was one he was passing faultlessly when he confidently birdied the 14th. But there was still the fearsome final hole to play and he ran up a bogey after pushing his drive and missing the green with his approach.

Still it looked like it would be good enough with Watson in the trees off the tee and needing a birdie to force a play-off. Watson's response was the shot of the hour, a marvellous blow that finished 10ft from the hole. The crowd whooped and hollered and Watson urged them to turn up the volume still more. But the putt stayed out and Rose had claimed his fourth U.S Tour victory in the space of 20 months.

Before the event had started he had
talked about how well he had been playing and how he had to remain
patient and wait his chance for a win. Now it has arrived just a month
shy of the first major of the season, and one he has led in the past
after the first, second and third rounds.

Rose
is now 31 and getting better all the time. The enormous $1.4million
first prize was worth oodles of Ryder Cup points and he will surely be
part of the European team now for the match at Medinah in September.

On form: Rose has won four titles recently

'It has certainly been an up and down career but sweet moments like this make it all worth it, when you can share one of the biggest trophies in the game with all your friends and family.

'It had me sweating,' said Rose, who had to prepare himself mentally for a play-off until Watson missed his birdie attempt.

The victory was worth over £875,000 and put Rose on course for a Ryder Cup return after being left out by Colin Montgomerie in 2010 despite two wins in the United States that summer.

First things first, though, and that means preparing himself for Augusta.He was only one behind with two to play in 2007, but double-bogeyed the 17th and came fifth.

His best finish in a major remains
his fourth place as a 17-year-old amateur at the 1998 Open - a
performance that was followed by 21 successive missed cuts at the start
of his professional career.

'There's going to be a lot of
expectation on Rory and on Tiger as there always is,' said Rose, who did
not know about the former world No 1's achilles tendon problem until
afterwards.

Happy days: Rose celebrates with caddie Mark Fulcher

'Hopefully he's holding himself back for the Masters and didn't want to do any more damage.

'After this win I suppose I'm now in the mix of players to talk about, but it's all part of being a pro.

'I don't think it will change the way I'm going to approach anything.'

As for Rory, he was not too downhearted after settling for a 67 and third place. In his final event before the Masters, he had registered his 12th top-five finish in his last 13 events and his reign as world No 1 has got off to a fine start.

'It's my fifth start of the season and my fifth top five,' he said.

'It's been another good week. It feels like every time I tee it up I have a chance to win.'

Former world No 1 Luke Donald showed a bit of form himself as he shrugged off his slow start to the season with a tied sixth placing.

No European has won the Masters this century, with Jose Maria Olazabal's success in 1999 the last victory. That's looking like another frontier that could well be crossed in just three weeks from now.